Chapter 4 – Chartering Projects
TRUE/FALSE
1. The project charter serves as a formal legal contract between the project team and the project sponsor.
2. The signing of the project charter signals the transition from the high-level project initiating stage into
the more detailed project planning stage.
3. The signing of the project portfolio statement signals the transition from the high-level project
initiating stage into the more detailed project planning stage.
4. In contrast to the case that exists with a legal contract, the parties to a signed project charter are merely
obligated to the spirit of the charter since specific details will certainly change.
5. One purpose of the project charter is to help the project team and sponsor commit to the project.
6. A charter is used to quickly screen potential projects and to eliminate the poor choices.
7. Charters used in different industries and in different companies have somewhat different elements and
formats.
8. The scope overview and business case sections of the project charter provide the high-level “what and
where” of the project.
9. A well-written business case should persuade decision-makers to support the project.
10. The project business case provides a high-level description of what the project will accomplish and
how it will be done.
11. A background statement is often added to a project charter to help stakeholders better understand the
background behind the scope overview and business case.
12. A background statement is a mandatory element of the project charter that sets the stage for creation of
the scope overview and business case.
13. The project master network is a summary-level schedule that identifies the major schedule milestones
or significant points and events in the project.
14. A deliverable is any unique and verifiable product, result or capability to perform a service that is
required to be produced to complete a process, phase, or project.
15. A key concept in agile projects is that something of value will be delivered at each iteration.
16. Assumptions identified in the project charter include events that, if they occur, will have either a
positive or a negative effect on a project’s objectives
17. Risks, assumptions and constraints are included in the project charter so that key participants will be
aware of what could prevent them from successfully completing the project.
18. At the time the project charter is prepared there is typically a very general understanding of the project,
so if a budget is included it can only be a rough estimate.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following documents serves as an informal contract between the project team and the
project sponsor?
a.
team members’ employment contracts
b.
project charter
c.
project roadmap
d.
business case
2. The project charter grants the project team the right to:
a.
begin project execution
b.
develop the project mission statement
c.
create a detailed project plan
d.
write a detailed business case
3. The project charter serves all of the following purposes EXCEPT:
a.
authorizes the project manager to proceed
b.
develops a common understanding between the sponsor and the project team
c.
quickly screens out obviously poor projects
d.
describes skill sets needed for the project
4. The project charter should help the project team and the project sponsor to develop a common
understanding of what the project is all about. All of the following items are elements of that
common understanding EXCEPT:
a.
understanding how the project aligns with the goals of the organization
b.
understanding the detailed project schedule
c.
understanding project success measures
d.
understanding what is included and excluded
5. Within the project charter, the scope overview accomplishes all of the following EXCEPT:
a.
identifies the major schedule milestones for the project
b.
describes the work that must be performed to deliver a product, service or result.
c.
distinguishes between what the project will and will not do.
d.
describes at a high level what needs to be accomplished and how it will be done.
6. During iteration planning in an agile project, agreement is reached regarding:
a.
the length of the next sprint.
b.
detailed stakeholder requirements.
c.
the definition of done.
d.
positive and negative risks.
7. Which of the following charter elements defines the project purpose and justifies the necessity of the
project?
a.
scope control plan
b.
acceptance criteria
c.
business case
d.
scope overview
8. Which of the following charter elements should inspire team members to develop a passion for the
project and to work hard on it?
a.
the project vision statement
b.
the business case
c.
the project motto
d.
the team operating principles
9. The milestone schedule in the project charter:
a.
is a schedule that provides detailed data for when each project activity should begin.
b.
is a detailed schedule that shows the planned duration for every activity in the project.
c.
is a summary-level schedule that identifies significant points or events in the project.
d.
is a summary-level schedule that shows how major project tasks are sequenced.
10. The addition of acceptance criteria factors to the milestones in a project charter helps the team
understand who will judge the quality of the deliverable associated with each milestone, and _____:
a.
that stakeholder’s role on the team.
b.
the risk associated with each milestone.
c.
the penalties for not achieving the desired quality.
d.
the criteria or standards they will use.
11. Project charters typically include all of the following elements EXCEPT:
a.
positive and negative risks
b.
project assumptions
c.
detailed resource requirements
d.
project constraints
12. Project managers and teams should consider risks and include them in the project charter for all the
following reasons EXCEPT:
a.
risks that may have a negative impact on project objectives should be identified and
addressed.
b.
all project risks should be eliminated before the project charter is signed.
c.
risks that may have a positive impact on the project create opportunities and should be
capitalized upon.
d.
the sponsor and core team should be aware of what could prevent them from successfully
completing the project.
13. Team operating principles are sometimes included in a project charter to enhance team performance.
Which of the following statements accurately describes the value of establishing team operating
principles?
a.
Operating principles that address the conduct of meetings and how decisions are made are
especially useful in helping the team get off to a good start.
b.
Operating principles typically detail the specific work that each team member will perform
and ensure a more complete understanding of the project.
c.
Operating principles identify the rules along with the punishments to be administered
when the rules are broken.
d.
Operating principles are especially helpful for a routine project where participants have
worked together before
14. A project sponsor is wise not to sign a project charter authorizing work until the project manager and
team show that they have ____:
a.
learned to work together well.
b.
gathered requirements from key stakeholders.
c.
reviewed lessons learned from previous projects in order to avoid similar mistakes.
d.
prepared a comprehensive schedule and budget.
15. Which section of the project charter publicly acknowledges the commitment of the sponsor, managers
and team members to the project?
a.
business case
b.
signatures and commitment
c.
decisions and findings
d.
contract section
16. Which of the following statements most accurately identifies the typical contents of the project
charter?
a.
requirements, specifications, test protocols and test results
b.
statement of work, terms and conditions, clauses and delivery instructions
c.
business case, milestone schedule, resource estimates and team operating principles
d.
purpose, literature review, methodology, results and conclusions
17. Which of the following statements accurately describes the responsibilities typically associated with
the development of the project charter?
a.
the project sponsor typically prepares the detailed first draft of the charter
b.
the project manager typically prepares the business case and scope overview
c.
the customer typically prepares and signs the charter
d.
the project manager and team typically prepare the majority of the rough draft for the
project charter
18. On agile projects the first iteration is planned as a milestone with acceptance criteria. However,
subsequent milestones and acceptance criteria are determined on a ___:
a.
need-to-know basis
c.
just in time (JIT) basis
b.
first in first out (FIFO) basis
d.
first come first served basis
ESSAY
1. Briefly discuss the importance of the project charter, and compare the roles played by the project
sponsor and the project manager with respect to the preparation of this document.
2. In the project charter, what types of resources might be estimated and how detailed should the project
budget or resource requirements be? Give some examples of how they might be expressed.
3. What are risks, and why is it important to identify them in the project charter?